Abstract Ponto-Caspian dreissenids are notorious freshwater invaders. Recently, widespread observations show a dominance shift from the early invader, Dreissena polymorpha, to its successor, bugensis . These likely reflect congeneric species differences in physiological and behavioural traits. Here, we assessed mussel attachment strength, rate, mode of byssal failure as trait that could potenti...

Predatory, non-native fauna can influence biodiversity and trophic dynamics in invaded ecosystems. Signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) are a highly successful invader, which have altered freshwater benthic communities, including bivalve populations. Bivalves keystone group global decline, partly due to invasion by alien species. However, little is known about the predatory impacts of inv...

The sharp-angled (presence of an acute ridge) or rounded (absence of an acute ridge) transition of the ventral and dorsal shell surfaces is the “key feature” for the distinction of Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena rostriformis. However, up to now it has not been possible to put this into a quantifiable framework. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a method, which (i) facilitates ...

Dreissenid mussels were first documented in the Laurentian Great Lakes in the late 1980s. Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) spread quickly into shallow, hard-substrate areas; quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) spread more slowly and are currently colonizing deep, offshore areas. These mussels occur at high densities, filter large water volumes while feeding on suspended materia...

Subacute exposures (10 d) of the freshwater mollusc Dreissena polymorpha to disulfoton (10 mg/L), thiometon (6 mg/L), and its activated oxygen analogue demeton-S-methyl (6 mg/L) corroborate earlier findings of organophosphate resistance and accumulation in the organism. Mortality occurred not before the ninth day of exposure. Mortality was induced at high ambient water concentrations and must b...

The invasive zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) has quickly colonized shallow-water habitats in the North American Great Lakes since the 1980s but the quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) is becoming dominant in both shallow and deep-water habitats. While quagga mussel shell morphology differs between shallow and deep habitats, functional causes and consequences of such difference are unknown. W...